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SAIPAN, CNMI (Marianas Variety, May 3) - The Commonwealth Telecommunications Commission yesterday unanimously approved Pacific Telecom Inc.’s $60 million purchase of Verizon’s assets in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, but the commission will still decide whether further financial inquiry is necessary.

CTC is still waiting for Deloitte & Touche’s financial audit on PTI and Verizon Pacifica.

Gov. Juan N. Babauta and the Attorney General’s Office’s consumer counsel, Brian Caldwell, said Verizon agreed to eliminate inter-island toll charges for phone calls and dial-up Internet connections. This means that residents will no longer pay 15 cents per minute if they call between Saipan, Tinian and Rota once Verizon Pacifica and PTI close the deal, which is expected to happen in the next few weeks.

The administration opposed the purchase deal which has been approved by federal authorities.

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, May 3) - A candidate for the position of Governor-General, John Nilkare, said yesterday certain members of parliament and a political party executive had requested "bribes" before they agreed to support him.

"This is corruption at the highest level," said Mr Nilkare, who withdrew his nomination in disgust and called for an overhaul of the system of appointing the Governor-General.

He said an inquiry should be conducted by the appropriate authorities into what transpired over the weekend.

Mr Nilkare said three MPs and a political party executive approached him over the weekend and asked for K20,000 (US$6,190) before the party and the MPs would support him.

"I went ahead and raised the money with my family and a few friends. I took the money to my hotel room ... but I thought long and hard about it and I decided that I am not going to pay," he told The National yesterday.

SAIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, May 4) - The Marianas Public Lands Authority has distributed a total of 146 homestead lots on Rota, representing the largest distribution of lots on the island in almost eight years.

The lot distribution, which was done through a lottery last Friday, was participated in by 148 eligible homestead applicants.

Eligible applicants are those who have completed their files and are personally on island.

Acting MPLA commissioner Frank M. Eliptico said the lots drawn were composed of 145 lots in Dugi and three lots in Sinapalo.

He said these included lots that were either revoked from previous homesteaders who failed to comply with permit requirements or lots surrendered by homesteaders for various reasons.

In his remarks, MPLA board member Nicolas Nekai said the lot drawing represented "the largest mass distribution of village homestead lots in almost eight years."

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, May 3) – The Papua New Guinea parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered the Education Department to investigate the existence of non-Christian schools in the country.

During its inquiry of the Education Department last week, PAC chairman John Hickey said it is unconstitutional to let other religions build schools and teach their religious principles in PNG, though he acknowledged freedom of religion.

The committee was questioning the establishment of a Muslim school in Safia, Ijivitari district in the Northern province earlier this year.

"PNG’s constitution promotes Christian principles," Hickey said: "I want you (Education Secretary), as a matter of urgency, to look at the requirements of the Constitution before you permit that school to continue."

He said PNG can allow other religions to practice their faith but "our Constitution" does not allow their doctrine to be taught in their schools....

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (SIBC, May 3) – The peacekeeping Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has proposed that a Solomon Islands Leadership Integrity Commission be formed to deal with corruption.

The commission would bring together the Leadership Code Commission, the Ombudsman and the Auditor-General within a shared administrative framework, and their resources would be pooled and increased to deal with corruption.

RAMSI says the resulting accountability system should be focused firmly on dealing with future corruption.

The Integrity Commission would be independent but reporting to a Parliamentary committee.

The resources, expertise and findings of each of the Leadership Code Commission, Ombudsman and Auditor-General would be available to assist the others, thus improving coordination and obtaining better results from resources.

MAJURO, Marshall Islands (May 3) - The Marshall Islands retirement fund is preparing to invest $750,000 in United States stocks and bonds later this week, a move that will increase its total investments to $38.2 million.

Marshall Islands Social Security Administration administrator Saane Aho said Friday the agency has halted a past practice of withdrawing funds from investments to pay retirement benefits and instead has been reinvesting money each year. This was made possible by aggressive tax collection that rose to $13 million last year from $5.5 million in 1999 and significant reductions in administrative costs.

In 2003, Missa invested $1 million in U.S. stocks and bonds, and is set to make its first investment for 2004 by early next week, Aho said.

The funds being invested are the surplus of tax collections over the benefits being paid to retirees, she said.

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (SIBC, May 3) – The newly-established nongovernmental organization Transparency Solomon Islands has warned that the next stage of work facing the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) will be more difficult that its early success in stabilizing law and order.

Transparency chairman Tony Hughes says RAMSI's initial success is a big and welcome step in the right direction. However, he said the next stage will be difficult as it challenges those involved in corruption, many of whom occupy significant positions of power.

He says Transparency Solomon Islands is working closely with RAMSI and other aid donors on how best to achieve this next difficult task.

Mr Hughes says it is important for all Solomon Islanders to support local anti-corruption institutions such as the Ombudsman's Office and the Leadership Code Commission, in their fight against corrupt leaders, public servants and business people.

SUVA, Fiji (May 3) - The current dispute among the people of Nayau, Kabara and Yadrana over who is the rightful traditional warrior of the Turaga na Tui Nayau is one of the many problems that will befall the Fijian community if nothing is done to set the record straight at the Native Land Commission.

Former Prime Minister and Labor leader Dr Timoci Bavadra and Nationalist leader Sakeasi Butadroka, back in the 80s, also called for an NLC review.

They had voiced their concerns that records within the NLC were debatable and could have been tampered with.

Also, they believed the majority of the Fijian people were not consulted on the record and hence did not have a chance to raise any questions, let alone voicing their grievances, if they did not agree with what had been written.

Never in the history of this country have we had such an alarming rate of disputes for chiefly titles, and now it has transcended down to the bati (...

The money is earmarked for food supplies to victims, and for rebuilding homes and bridges as well as resurfacing roads.

A total of 21 people are confirmed dead following last month’s flooding which wrought havoc in the east of Viti Levu and the area near Suva.

The director of the National Disaster Management Organization says the priority now is to ensure access to clean water.

Joe Rokovada says the Ministry of Health and the Red Cross are working together to provide water purification tablets:

"They’re also providing education program to the affected communities. I think the message is for people to boil their water. We haven’t had any difficulty with medicines, the only area of concern is water."

Joe Rokovada says 294 victims are still living in evacuation centers after their homes were completely wrecked.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.